ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Members of the Lehigh County Republican Committee have started censure proceedings against Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan after the region's top law enforcement officer endorsed a Democratic candidate for county executive.
In an email last week, Holihan announced he would back state Rep. Josh Siegel's bid to run the day-to-day operations of county government.
Holian praised the second-term lawmaker with securing funding for Allentown to recruit more police officers, voting for a state budget that created 1,500 more police officer positions statewide, and working with organizations that attempt to prevent violence such as after-school programming for youths.
"Representative Siegel has been a steadfast supporter of my office and its collaborations with local police departments and has strongly and publicly supported our investigations and efforts to ensure that every neighborhood is safe," Holihan, who is in his second year as top prosecutor, said in the prepared statement.
The fact that Holihan, one of the highest elected Republicans in local government, is backing the man at the top of the Democratic ticket isn't sitting well with local GOP leadership.
"The Lehigh County Republican Committee believes this endorsement by the district attorney sends a dangerous message and is destructive to the values that have kept our county safe."Lehigh County Republican Committee statement
In a prepared statement, the committee said Siegel has a history of embracing extremist policies and anti-police rhetoric. The community would be less safe with him at the helm of county government, the statement read.
"The Lehigh County Republican Committee believes this endorsement by the district attorney sends a dangerous message and is destructive to the values that have kept our county safe. The Lehigh County Republican Committee calls on voters and all elected officials to reject Josh Siegel’s radical agenda and stand with candidates who support law enforcement, public safety, and common-sense policies that benefit all residents of Lehigh County," the statement read.
'Childish public meltdown'
Holihan declined to comment Thursday afternoon.
In a prepared statement, Siegel called the censure vote a "childish public meltdown" by out-of-touch extremists who care more about partisanship than public safety. Siegel said that if elected, he would make county-wide police and fire services a priority as he believes it would create safer communities and save taxpayers money.
"Politics shouldn't be a cult," he wrote. "People are tired of the tribal warfare of party identity. The Lehigh GOP is demonstrating they're obsessed with blind loyalty to a party."
Committee Chair Joe Vichot said committee members were essentially united in their decision to put Holihan up for a censure vote. The only disagreement came from members who wanted to censure him immediately at the regular committee meeting Tuesday evening, versus those who wanted to give Holihan an opportunity to defend himself, Vichot said.
"We have to distance ourselves from this," he said of the endorsement.
Symbolic gesture
Vichot said the committee is still finalizing details of the vote, including when it will take place and whether it will be open to non-committee members. He said the vote will likely occur in the next two weeks.
Party censures are a formal rebuke of an organization against one of its members. For the committee, it's the harshest condemnation it can make. However, it's a largely symbolic gesture; the committee cannot force someone to change their party registration, and a censure has no official effect on a person's ability to hold office. It does signal, however, that Holihan would struggle to find formal support from party leadership should he run for re-election in 2027.
Holihan would be joining elite company if he's censured. The last person censured by the committee was Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, a Zionsville resident, after he voted to impeach then-former President Donald Trump in 2021 following the assault on the U.S. Capitol Building.
Holihan ran as a Republican in the 2023 district attorney race with the endorsement of then-incumbent Jim Martin, a Republican who ran the office for decades. However, multiple high-profile Democrats in the community — including Siegel — endorsed Holihan's bid, and he won both party nominations in the primaries.
County executive race
Holihan waded into a thick political race with his endorsement of Siegel last week. Siegel, a former Allentown councilman, is the only Democrat to announce a campaign for county executive so far, but three Republicans have thrown their hats into the ring.
Former Allentown Police Chief Roger MacLean, former Allentown School Board Director Mike Welsh and former state Rep. Justin Simmons have all announced they will compete for the Republican nomination in the May 20 primary.
Candidates can formally enter the race starting Tuesday, when campaigns can begin collecting signatures for their nomination petitions.
